Editor,

This is not a drill.

I am thinking of the thousands of soldiers and law enforcement officers in our area. These public servants have prepared for a broad range of public defense and safety events – stuff that could possibly happen. But is figuring out the lawfulness of an order from a superior something rank-and-file train for?

We count on our top officers in government. I ask, “How are officers in leadership roles doing?” Today we see higher-ups seemingly fired on a whim, without due process or a substantive cause. In the last couple of weeks, we find: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon – Gone. Secretary of Defense – Gone. U.S. Coast Guard Commandant – Gone. Air Force Vice Chief of Staff – Gone.

Folks, this is only the beginning. I believe the objective is to put the president’s yes-people in place even though they are glaringly underqualified. The primary qualification now is sworn allegiance to a person rather than to defending the Constitution or performing one’s duty by the book.

This is not a drill. The result of installing highly partisan leaders is that rank-in-file service people are now placed in a compromising position. Either they ride along with the latest whim, or they quit or get fired. It’s as simple as that. Our democracy is coming to an end when one or two individuals rule the government with a self-serving, ideological agenda. The Constitution and the rule of law become mere pieces of paper to step around.

They move ahead by citing a supposed emergency and they keep moving if they find little resistance. Please contact U.S. Senators Murray and Cantwell and our U.S. Rep. Rick Larson to express support for how these elected officials are shoring up an absolutely essential balance of power in the three branches of our federal government.

Lee B. James

Coupeville